CAREFREE TREAT

Tthe new romantic comedy from Michael Showalter (The Big Sick), The Idea of You, begins like many of the best in its genre: A meet-cute so silly it endears.

This one happens in a trailer that Solene (a delightful Anne Hathaway) confuses for a restroom during Coachella. The almost-40-year-old divorcée wasn’t supposed to be in the desert surrounded by neon-clad adolescents shrieking at the top of their lungs. If Solene had it her way, she would be on a solo camping trip somewhere in the woods with only her thoughts. But her ex-husband Daniel (Reid Scott) bailed on his plan to take their 16year-old daughter Izzy (Ella Rubin) and her friends to see an old favourite band August Moon, an international group modeled after One Direction. Now, Solene is stuck navigating a sea of youthful energy and looking for a place to pee.

With bladder relief comes company. Solene, still oblivious to her surroundings, runs into Hayes Campbell (Nicholas Galitzine of Red, White & Royal Blue), the lead singer of none other than

August Moon. She wonders if he is some ASMR creep and he informs her that she is in his personal trailer. Some banter and a few jokes later, Solene is smiling to herself as she leaves a smitten Hayes to his glam squad.

It’s the beginning of an unbelievable love story, based on the romance novel of the same name by Robinne Lee. In The Idea of You, which will undoubtedly draw comparisons to Notting Hill, Solene and Hayes start a whirlwind affair that changes the Silver Lake mother’s life and, briefly, her relationship to her daughter. As she accompanies Hayes on the European leg of his tour, Solene must confront both her attraction to a man nearly 20 years younger than her and the ensuing online vitriol of his rabid fanbase. She must also consider her own happiness: What does she want her life to look like after 40? Showalter’s film is a bit like cotton candy - an airy confection consumed with the knowledge of its fleeting enjoyment.

Hathaway’s character is a mother torn between the established order of her life - running her art gallery, fostering a relationship with her daughter, healing from Daniel cheating on her - and the risk of a relationship with Hayes. she brings an attractive humour and surprising depth to Solene as she leaps into the unknown terrain of a new romance.

functions best as a carefree treat.